Agenda and draft minutes

Councillors David Jeffels, Clive Pearson, Heather Phillips, John Ritchie, Neil Swannick and Phil Trumper.

All Members are invited to declare at this point any interests they have in items appearing on this agenda, including the nature of those interests.

Councillor David Chance declared an interest in his capacity of Chair of Pickering Fishery Association which was in litigation with the Environment Agency.

Members of the public may ask questions or make statements at this meeting if they have given notice to St John Harris of Democratic Services and supplied the text (contact details below) by midday on Wednesday, 18 March, three working days before the day of the meeting.  Each speaker should limit themselves to 3 minutes on any item. 

If you are exercising your right to speak at this meeting, but do not wish to be recorded, please inform the Chair who will instruct anyone who may be taking a recording to cease while you speak.

There were five public questions submitted to the committee. An additional three public questions submitted by Whitby Community Network were dealt with outside the meeting since a representative could not be present to ask them. Questions 1 and 2 were considered at Minute 201 – Environment Agency and questions 3 to 5 were considered at Minute 202 – Yorkshire Water.

1. The aim of Scarborough Sea Pool CIC is to have a new tidal sea pool in Scarborough, the preferred location has been identified as Children’s Corner, slightly to the south of the main south bay beach.  Having read the papers for this meeting, we think

The current monitoring period during 15th May to 30th Sept and only 20 times during this period doesn’t meet the year round nature of surfing and sea swimming in Scarborough, we want this acknowledged and year round testing done across all the bays and not limited to a small number of testing locations, we also want to be involved in the future testing. 

Yorkshire Water say they consult with Surfers Against Sewage and Sons of Neptune; we want to make YW aware of many other active sea swimming groups in Scarborough that should also be involved and actively consulted in the future Bathing Water Partnership.  

We can be contacted via our email scarboroughseapool@gmail.com and our website https://e-voice.org.uk/scarboroughseapool/ (Karen Chiverall, Scarborough Sea Pool CIC)

Reply

Defra has recently consulted on proposed reforms to the Bathing Water Regulations 2013 including extending the dates of the monitored bathing season. Should Defra permit this and the funding be made available, then the EA would gladly undertake more testing over a longer period.

In reply, Ms Chiverall sought further information about the Defra consultation: had the consultation closed? Was there an opportunity for Scarborough Sea Pool CIC to participate? The Chair advised that the Area Committee had responded to the consultation which took place in November – December 2024 seeking an extension of the monitored bathing season.

2. In the recent water quality review a list of reasons for poor water quality at South Bay, Scarborough were given: discharge of sewage via water company overflows, animal waste, misconnected drains, agricultural runoff and urban runoff. Whilst this presents a diffuse picture of culprits, what is the accurate picture? What is causing the majority of negative impact to our water?  We ask you to quantify, provide percentages for each of these data points to explain the picture more accurately. (Elisabeth Marriott)

Reply

The EA uses microbial source tracking of potential sources of pollution and total bacterial community profiling to test samples for counts of the bacteria intestinal enterococci (IE) and Escherichia coli (E. coli), the two bacteria used to classify bathing waters under the Bathing Water Regulations 2013. These techniques do not allow to build a precise picture of contributors by percentage to poor bathing water quality, rather give strong or weak indicators.

In response, Ms Marriott sought further clarification as to how the EA’s findings marry with those  ...  view the full minutes text for item 196.

Considered a report of the Corporate Director Environment which set the scene for the review by providing some historical and background information in respect of the challenges regarding bathing water quality in the North Bay and South Bay and how agencies were responding. In particular, the convening power of North Yorkshire Council was highlighted to bring different agencies together to tackle this issue.

Speakers:

       i.         Steve Crawford, Surfers Against Sewage

     ii.         Rosalind Aldcroft, Bay View Coffee House

    iii.         Rudi Barman, Terror Towers and Scarborough Speed Boat Trips

    iv.         Andrew Clay, Scarborough Tourism Advisory Board and SEA LIFE Scarborough

The committee received presentations from several local stakeholders in respect of the local impacts of bathing water quality.

Steve Crawford, Surfers Against Sewage

Steve Crawford addressed the committee as a lifelong Scarborough resident and former surf business owner, explaining that he had closed his business due to persistent poor water quality and associated health concerns. He highlighted the scale and longevity of pollution affecting both North and South Bays, citing high numbers of CSO discharges, inadequate historic investment outcomes and conflicting or unclear public safety messaging on beaches. He stated that public awareness of water pollution had increased significantly, leading to fear among residents and visitors, reputational damage to Scarborough, and negative impacts on tourism and livelihoods. While welcoming further proposed investment, he expressed a lack of trust without clear accountability for previous failures, described the personal financial consequences he had suffered, and called for greater transparency, honesty and effective action to restore confidence and deliver lasting improvements in bathing water quality.

Rosalind Aldcroft, Bay View Coffee House

Rosalind Aldcroft addressed the committee as a South Bay trader and regular year‑round sea swimmer, explaining that she frequently observed families and swimming groups entering the sea without necessarily being aware of water quality concerns, and cautioned that public messaging needed to strike a balance between not deterring visitors while still being clear about potential risks. She stated that water quality had improved since earlier decades but remained insufficient, and questioned whether current sampling locations and frequency provided a full and accurate picture. She asked whether testing should be extended geographically and into the winter months to allow clearer analysis of seasonal influences, including visitor numbers, weather conditions, farming runoff and storm overflow activity. She also raised concerns about the annual movement of beach sand, questioning whether pollutants could be stored in the sand and later released into the water, and whether seasonal population increases contributed to higher pollution levels. She concluded that, as a destination dependent on bathing and swimming, Scarborough owed residents and visitors the best possible water quality supported by robust testing and transparent information.

Andrew Clay, Scarborough Tourism Advisory Board and SEA LIFE Scarborough

Andrew Clay addressed the committee as General Manager of the Scarborough Sea Life Centre, outlining its 35‑year presence in the town, ownership by Merlin Entertainments, and recent significant investment demonstrating a long‑term commitment to Scarborough, environmental sustainability and the local economy. He explained that the centre relied directly on seawater pumped from North Bay for its exhibits and life‑support systems, using large volumes of water which were filtered and tested daily, making clean bathing water critical to its operation. He emphasised that, beyond being a visitor attraction, learning and conservation lay at the heart of the Sea Life Centre’s work, including education, habitat research, breeding programmes, rescue and rehabilitation of marine animals, and monitoring of local marine ecosystems. He highlighted the unique value of being located directly on the coast, enabling engagement with local habitats and wildlife, and stressed the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 198.

Speakers:

       i.         Karl Battersby (Corporate Director Environment and NYC representative on Bathing Water Partnership)

     ii.         Stewart Rowe (Principal Coastal Officer)

    iii.         Joe Penny (Principal Officer to the Chief Executive)

The committee received a presentation from Stewart Rowe, Coastal Manager, Harbours and Coastal Infrastructure, North Yorkshire Council.

Stewart Rowe addressed the committee acknowledging the long‑standing frustration shared by partners and residents about bathing water quality and emphasising the collective determination to resolve issues that were damaging to the town. He outlined the complexity of the problem, noting multiple potential sources of pollution including sewage, agricultural runoff, wildlife, misconnected drains, sand movement and harbour dredging, and stressed that the key challenge was understanding the relative contribution of each through robust science. He explained that North Yorkshire Council’s primary role was to convene and coordinate partners through mechanisms such as the Bathing Water Partnership and summits, while clarifying that sampling regimes, standards and beach classifications were set nationally by the Environment Agency and DEFRA, limiting local discretion. He described the statutory basis for beach signage, including the tension between bathing water advice and RNLI lifeguard operations, and set out the council’s wider responsibilities such as beach cleaning, dog controls, and planning. He highlighted Professor Grocke’s study commissioned by the council and additional Environment Agency investigations beyond mandatory sampling, intended to examine a wider range of inputs such as sand, watercourses and seasonal pressures from visitor numbers. He concluded that resolving bathing water quality issues depended on improved scientific understanding to identify root causes, noting that sand relocation was undertaken for coastal protection reasons and was not currently subject to testing, but remained an area of interest for further investigation.

Members’ discussion

Following Stewart Rowe’s presentation, councillors discussed the tension between public water safety and bathing water quality, questioning whether the presence of RNLI‑managed bathing zones risked implying that swimming was safe despite poor classifications. Members reflected on substantial historic investment by Yorkshire Water which had failed to deliver the expected improvement to bathing water status, expressing frustration that a former quality award had deteriorated to a “poor” classification under the four‑year assessment cycle, despite infrastructure upgrades and contributions from major businesses. Councillors emphasised the need to maintain political scrutiny and public focus through continued bathing water summits, rejecting any suggestion that the issue was resolved, and calling for broader engagement with stakeholders and speakers who had contributed evidence. Further discussion focused on adopting a process‑of‑elimination approach to identify pollution sources, including consideration of sand movement, harbour dredging, seasonal population pressures, stormwater runoff, ageing Victorian drainage infrastructure and the potential impacts of overdevelopment on wastewater capacity. Clarification was sought on how surface water, street cleaning runoff and extreme rainfall events interacted with the combined sewer system, and whether mitigation measures such as retention tanks were operating as originally intended. Members also raised concerns about pollution from events such as Bonfire Night, discussing enforcement, byelaws and the potential for organised alternatives to reduce environmental harm, while reiterating that resolving the bathing water issues required sustained partnership working, transparency and timely action rather than accepting continued poor outcomes.

The committee received a presentation from Professor Darren Grocke, Professor of Stable Isotope Geochemistry, University of Durham.

Professor Darren Grocke addressed the committee to present the findings of a two‑year scientific study using nitrogen stable isotope analysis of seaweed to identify sources of nutrient pollution affecting Scarborough’s bathing waters. He explained that analysis of over 3,400 samples of Fucus and Ulva collected from 18 sites between September 2023 and October 2025 demonstrated that nitrogen signals recorded in the seaweed were consistent with pollution from animal manure and human sewage, rather than seabird guano or routine agricultural fertilisers. The results consistently identified Scalby Beck as a dominant source of nitrogen pollution, with ocean currents transporting this pollution from the North Bay into the South Bay, particularly during summer months when pollution levels intensified. Seasonal comparisons showed relatively cleaner conditions in winter and significant deterioration in summer, including a pronounced pollution event in July 2025 affecting much of the coastline. Professor Grocke highlighted the advantage of using seaweed as an integrative monitoring tool, capturing average pollution over several weeks rather than short‑term snapshots, and noted that visible increases in seaweed growth were often indicative of nutrient enrichment rather than good environmental health. He also raised concerns that beach sand movement could remobilise stored nutrients and contaminants, potentially exacerbating pollution as material was redistributed along the bay. He concluded that the evidence strongly pointed to nutrient inputs via Scalby Beck as a priority area for targeted investment and remediation, and that improved scientific understanding was essential to inform effective long‑term solutions.

Members’ discussion

Following Professor Darren Grocke’s presentation, councillors commended the robustness of his scientific analysis, focusing discussion on the finding that animal manure and human sewage were the dominant contributors rather than fertiliser runoff or seabird guano. Members questioned what practical systems and regulatory changes were needed to address pollution from Scalby Beck, including stronger controls on CSOs, greater oversight of agricultural and groundwater inputs, and clearer accountability given the absence of a single authority with overall responsibility. Councillors raised concerns about historic planning decisions, overdevelopment and infrastructure capacity, and emphasised the importance of continued monitoring to assess whether remedial actions delivered real improvement, noting with concern that funding for Professor Grocke’s work had ceased and advocating for further commissioning of similar studies as quality assurance alongside future Yorkshire Water investment. There was strong interest in expanding the approach beyond traditional bacterial indicators to a broader assessment of water quality, including routine testing of beach sand before relocation, consideration of nature‑based solutions such as seaweed, mussel and aquatic planting to absorb excess nutrients, and complementary monitoring techniques. Members also explored how improvements at identified source areas would translate into public confidence about swimming safety, acknowledged uncertainties around wider climatic factors, and stressed the value of extending investigations further inland to understand how catchment‑wide processes influencing coastal water quality, concluding that Professor Grocke’s work provided a critical evidence base to guide sustained action.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 200.

Speakers:

       i.         Claire Barrow (Environment Planning and Engagement Manager – Yorkshire)

     ii.         Martin Christmas (Area Environment Manager – Yorkshire)

    iii.         Mike Dugher (Area Director – Yorkshire)

The committee received a presentation from Martin Christmas, Area Environment Manager (Yorkshire), Environment Agency. Before the presentation, Mr Christmas provided replies to two public questions (see Minute 196 above).

Martin Christmas addressed the committee on behalf of the Environment Agency to explain its statutory role in bathing water management, emphasising that while the EA was not a public health body, it was responsible for bacteriological monitoring, incident response, investigation and public reporting. He outlined how bathing water classifications were derived from weekly sampling during the bathing season and assessed using a four‑year rolling average, noting that this meant single poor years could significantly influence classifications and that conditions could vary considerably year‑to‑year. He summarised the long‑term picture for Scarborough, highlighting the persistent poor classification at South Bay and the more variable performance of North Bay, and stressed that earlier large‑scale investment by Yorkshire Water had demonstrated that no single intervention could be relied upon to resolve such a complex problem. He presented findings from extensive investigations since 2014, including microbial source tracking and bacterial community profiling, which showed consistent human and seabird contributions at both bathing waters, occasional dog and ruminant inputs linked to rainfall and Scalby Beck, evidence of untreated sewage in Scalby Beck after rain, and confirmation that treated effluent from both Scarborough Wastewater Treatment Works and McCain’s could be detected at both bays, demonstrating both north‑to‑south and south‑to‑north water movement. He also reported evidence that bacteria could be mobilised from beach sand, confirmed that Scarborough Harbour was not a significant contributor, and updated members on recent regulatory inspections of Yorkshire Water assets, which identified actions but no permit breaches. He concluded by outlining planned activity for 2026, including continued compliance sampling, deployment of continuous water quality monitors in local becks, increased agricultural inspections in the Scalby Beck catchment, ongoing partnership working, and delivery of storm overflow reduction schemes through the AMP8 programme by 2030.

Members’ discussion

Following Martin Christmas’s presentation, councillors discussed the long‑standing nature of poor bathing water quality at South Bay and the more recent decline at North Bay, questioning whether any specific changes in infrastructure, development or pressures could explain the deterioration and noting that previous investigation had not identified a single definitive cause. Members explored the role of seabirds as a constant background influence rather than a recent change, while seeking reassurance that they should not be discounted entirely, and queried the relevance of human behaviour such as urination in the sea to E. coli readings. Significant concern was raised about agricultural runoff, including slurry spreading during wet conditions, the potential use of treated sewage sludge on farmland, and the need to understand how rainfall events and time lags influenced the appearance of human and animal waste markers at the coast. Councillors also highlighted possible additional sources within the catchment, including leaching from historic and current landfill sites, private septic tanks, and complex drainage associated with old mills and culverts along Scalby Beck.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 201.

Speakers:

       i.         Miles Cameron (Manager of Strategic Partnerships)

     ii.         Adam Ashman (Head of Strategic Partnerships & Sustainability)

The committee received a presentation from Miles Cameron, Manager of Strategic Partnerships, and Adam Ashman, Head of Strategic Partnerships & Sustainability, Yorkshire Water. Before the presentation, Messrs Cameron and Ashman provided replies to three public questions (see Minute 196 above).

Miles Cameron and Adam Ashman addressed the committee on behalf of Yorkshire Water, acknowledging longstanding concerns about bathing water quality in Scarborough and setting their presentation in the context of historic and recent investment, partnership working and the complexity of multiple pollution sources. They outlined Yorkshire Water’s infrastructure history in Scarborough, noting the transformation since the Victorian short sea outfalls, major investment between 2010 and 2015 including storage tunnels, treatment upgrades and UV disinfection, and more recent schemes at Wheatcroft and Whitby Road Bridge which had significantly reduced storm overflow frequency and duration. They reported strong asset performance in 2025, with full effluent compliance, improved UV disinfection effectiveness, and year‑on‑year reductions in spill events, while accepting that assets alone could not resolve all water quality pressures, particularly those linked to Scalby Beck and wider catchment inputs. They described the creation of a dedicated Bathing Waters team to provide specialist focus, greater transparency, proactive maintenance and closer collaboration with partners, including work on misconnections, investigations and rapid operational response.

Looking ahead, they highlighted a major AMP8 investment programme of around £120–150 million up to 2030 to further reduce CSO spills through a blended approach, alongside expanded education and community engagement, aerial mapping to identify drainage risks, a large‑scale water‑butt programme, and continued partnership work with the council and the Environment Agency. They also outlined innovation trials, including seaweed‑based “blue solutions” to absorb nutrients, new monitoring technologies aimed at near real‑time water quality information for the public, and strengthened governance through a reinvigorated Bathing Water Partnership with independent leadership and wider stakeholder representation, emphasising that rebuilding trust would depend on openness, sustained investment and coordinated action over time.

Members’ discussion

Following the presentation by Miles Cameron and Adam Ashman, councillors focused on issues of trust, accountability and delivery timescales, welcoming the scale of proposed investment but expressing frustration that South Bay remained classified as poor and concern that promised improvements had not yet translated into visible results. Members questioned how the new stakeholder group would be constituted to ensure genuine representation of residents and water users, sought clarity on the extent of Victorian and combined sewer infrastructure, and explored how future solutions might prioritise surface water separation, sustainable urban drainage and misconnection remediation rather than further reliance on combined systems. Significant concern was raised about the impact of continued housing growth on already constrained infrastructure, the status of Yorkshire Water as a non‑statutory consultee in planning, and whether capacity issues were being adequately addressed.

Councillors pressed Yorkshire Water on why earlier investment programmes had fallen short of expectations, how the new £120–150m AMP8 programme would differ, and whether improvements could realistically be accelerated ahead of the 2030 deadline, stressing that continued delays posed reputational,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 202.

The Chair thanked all the contributors and summarised a list of recommendations which had arisen during the meeting for consideration by the committee. These were agreed and subsequently finalised as follows:

Resolved that the committee:

1. Makes the following recommendations to North Yorkshire Council

That the council:

(i)             routinely arranges testing of the sand on the South Bay before moving it from the West Pier to the Spa;

(ii)            gives consideration to commissioning Professor Darren Grocke to undertake further studies;

(iii)           investigates the impact of cleaning the streets of guano - where does the water go? Does it go into treatment works or does it go into run-off and straight into the sea?

(iv)           involves the Environment Agency in ongoing work on the new Gull Strategy so the EA can assess any possible impact on bathing water quality;

(v)            writes to the Minister of State for Housing and Planning to request that relevant water companies be statutory consultees on planning applications;

(vi)           ensures that landfill sites, both used and closed, close to waterways are checked for leach;

(vii)          ensures that the emerging Local Plan has policies that (a) develop SUDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems) strategies and (b) require grey water recycling on all new builds;

2. sets a date for Yorkshire Water to attend to update the committee on their plans and work programme; and

3. seeks involvement in the creation of Yorkshire Water’s new Stakeholder Group to ensure the Stakeholder Group is representative and all interest groups are consulted.

The meeting ended with Councillor Rich Maw outlining a new multi-agency citizen science pilot study which used rapid testing technology to give a real time indicator of endotoxin levels in bathing water. Local volunteers, for example surfers and swimmers would be invited to assist in taking 90 samples over 90 days to help assess the quality of the bathing water on each day. The longer term plan was to develop the study into a funded research project.

Friday, 5 June 2026 at 10.00am at Scarborough Town Hall

5 June 2026 at Scarborough Town Hall